Tufting machine with retractable loopers



1965 G. D. DEDMON ETAL 3,203,379

TUFTING MACHINE WITH RETRACTABLE LOOPERS Filed Aug. '7, 1961 3Sheets-Sheet l INVENTORS GEORGE D. DEDMON By J. C. ROBINSON ATTORNEYAug. 31, 1965 s. D. DEDMON ETAL 3,203,379

TUFTING MACHINE WITH RETRACTABLE LOOPERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. '7,1961 IN VEN TORS GEORGE D. DEDMON BY J. C. ROBINSON ATTORNEY 8" 1965 G.D. DEDMON ETAL 3,203,79

TUFTING MACHINE WITH RETRACTABLE LO OPERS 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Aug.'7, 1961 INVENTORS: GEORGE D. DEDMON BY J. C. ROBINSON ATTORNEY nitedStates Patent 3,203,379 TUFHNG MACHINE WITH RETRAQTAIELE LUUPERS GeorgeD. Dedmon, 315 Oak St, Rossville, Ga, and J. C. Robinson, Chatsworth,Ga. Filed Aug. '7, 1961, Ser. No. 129,577 16 (Ilaims. (Cl. 112-79) Thisinvention relates to a tufting machine with retractable loopers, and ismore particularly concerned with a tufting machine for producing highand low loops in a pile fabric according to a prescribed pattern.

In the past, tufted carpets formed with high and low loops have beenused widely throughout the country and probably constitute approximatelyone-fourth of the entire tufted carpeting produced today. Many of themachines employed for producing high and low loop pile fabric are of thegeneral type disclosed in U.S. Patent No. 2,875,714, the patternattachment being known as a roll type attachment. This type of device,however, has a limited pattern since only a few rolls or rollers may beemployed to control a relatively large number of yarns. For singleneedle control, the industry has generally relied upon the slatattachments wherein intermeshing moving slats laterally deviate the yarnso as to feed a prescribed amount of yarn to the needles. Attempts have,however, been made to modify the loopers so that the height of thelooper is determined by a jacquard mechanism connected to the tuftingmachine. To our knowledge these devices have not been commerciallysuccessful.

Briefly, the present invention includes a conventional multi-needletufting machine frame and needle bar arrangement having a unidirectionalfeed mechanism, the travel of which is in excess of the travel of theneedle so as to supply the yarn demanded by each needle, re-

gardless of whether or not a high loop or a low loop is to be formed andregardless of the distance the machine is located from a particularportion of the creel. Also incorporated in the tufting machine of thepresent invention is a unique looper mechanism or assembly having a pairof looper hooks vertically spaced one over the other, the lower hookbeing retractable.

In operation, the eye of each reciprocating needle passes apredetermined distance through the base fabric, passing below the pathof travel of the lower hook near bottom dead center. Both looper hooksnormally pass between the needle "and the yarn upon each cycle of thetufting machine, provided the needle involved is to create a long loop.When a short loop is to be created, the low hook of the looper iswithdrawn to or held in an inoperative position whereby the upperlooper, only, passes between the yarn and the needle. Under theseconditions, the needle on its upstroke carries the yarn until it engagesthe upper looper and hence a low loop is formed. The actuation of therespective low loopers is accomplished by means of a pattern drum, orother anism, the yarn feed mechanism supplying only sufficient yarn tothe needles as prescribed and being relatively unaffected by thedistance which the yarn must travel from the creel to the tuftingmachine.

Another object of the present invention is to provide,

ice

in a tufting machine, a new and novel looper mechanism which will selectthe height of loop to be sewn by the machine, according to a prescribedpattern.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a multi-needletufting machine which is inexpensive to manufacture, durable instructure and efiicient in operation.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a new and novelmethod of producing high and low loops according to a prescribed patternin a base fabric.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a high-low looptufting machine in which the height of loops is accurately determined bythe looper hooks to produce uniform high and low pile.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a looper mechanismwhich is easily and inexpensively installed on conventional tuftingmachines.

Other objects, features and advantages of the present invention willbecome apparent from the following description when taken in conjunctionwith the accompanying drawings wherein like characters of referencedesignate corresponding parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

FIG. 1 is a cross sectional view of a tufting machine made in accordancewith the present invention, the needles thereof being at top dead centerand the looper mechanism thereof being in position to create a longloop.

FIG. 2 is a perspective fragmentary view of the unidirectional yarn feedmember of the machine shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary plan view of the bottom portion of theunidirectional yarn feed member shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged cross sectional view of a detail showing thereciprocated unidirectional yarn feed member employed in the machine ofFIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary bottom plan View of the unidirectionalfeed member shown in FIG. 4.

FIG. 6 is a cross sectional view similar to FIG. 1 and showing theneedles of the tufting machine in about the bottom dead center positionand the looper mechanism in a low loop sewing position.

FIG. 7 is a partially broken, schematic cross sectional view of thepattern drum, looper mechanism and needles of the tufting machine shownin FIGS. 1 and 6.

FIG. 8 is a perspective view, partially broken away, of the uniquelooperassembly made according to the present invention and such as isillustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6.

FIG. 9 is a fragmentary front elevational view, on a reduced scale, ofthe tufting machine shown in FIGS. 1 and 6.

Referring now in detail to the embodiment chosen for the purpose ofillustrating the present invention, it being understood that in itsbroader aspects the present invention is not limited to the exactdetails herein depicted, numeral 10 denotes the legs of a multi-needletufting machine supporting a transverse cross bed 11 which is hollow,having a transverse upper opening 12 between its inwardly turned opposedupper flanges 13, 13' which form a Work table for the base fabric.Mounted at opposite ends of the cross bed 11 are the upstandingstanchions or end frames 14 and 15 which support a cross head member 16within which extends the horizontal overhead drive shaft '17appropriately supported by bearings. The shaft 17 extends outwardly ofthe ends of the cross head member 16 and is provided at one end with apulley 18 around which are continuous V-belts 19. The V-belts 19 are, inturn, driven by a pulley (not shown) connected to the shaft of a motor(not shown). The motor is supported on a bracket (not shown) extendingfrom one of the legs 10.

Along the shaft 17 there are provided a plurality of eccentricallymounted, circular cams, such as cam 23 in FIGS. 1 and 6. Each cam 23 isconcentric with respect to the other similar cams and receives aconnecting rod hearing, such as bearing 24, from which extends theconnecting rod such as rod 25. The cross head member 16 is provided witha plurality of spaced downwardly extending journal members 26 whichreceive for vertical slidable movement, the needle bar supporting rods27. The upper ends of the supporting rods 27 are pivotally joined to theends of the connecting rod such as rod 25, while the lower ends of thesupporting rod 27 support a transverse needle bar 28 above the worktable and upper opening 12.

Upon rotation of the motor, the belts 19 rotate, through pulley 18, thedrive shaft 17 and thereby reciprocate, through cams 23, the connectingrods 25. The reciprocation of the connecting rods 25 will reciprocatethe supporting rods 27 which reciprocate, in a vertical path, the needlebar 28.

Mounted on one side of the cross bed 11 and being supported from flange13 by appropriate brackets 29 are the two infeed rolls 30 and 31. Theoutfeed rolls 32, 33 and 34 extend from the opposite side of the crossbed 11 and are supported from flange 13' between brackets 35. The rolls30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 are driven in conventional manner, such as bychain 36 which receives power from shaft 17, the infeed rolls 30 and 31being driven at slightly less peripheral speed than the outfeed rolls32, 33 and 34 so as to maintain the base fabric 40 in tension across thecross bed 11 and over the conventional throat plate 37, the throat plate37 being located on flange 13 and extending over a portion of theopening 12.

Below the work table and throat plate 37 is the loop pile looper shaft41 with spaced radially extending struts, such as strut 42, whichsupport the looper receiving blocks, such as block 43.

A plurality of transversely aligned needles 50, usually locatedapproximately 7 2 of an inch or of an inch apart, are carried by theneedle bar 38 so as to insert a plurality of loops of yarns 51 throughthe base fabric 40 It will be understood by those skilled in the artthat a suitable pitman (not shown) is adapted to rock the loop pilelooper shaft 41 back and forth, the pitman (not shown) being adjustablyconnected to shaft 41 through a lever (not shown). The pitman (notshown) is connected to the main drive shaft 17 through an eccentric cam(not shown) in the usual way.

The mechanism heretofore described is conventional in most multi-needletufting machines and hence those skilled in the art will understand thepurposes and construction of the various components.

LOOPER ASSEMBLY The looper assembly of the present invention is bestseen in FIG. 8 and includes a looper shank or body 60 which is adaptedto be received in the looper block 43 and retained in position by a setscrew 44. At the upper end of the looper shank 60 is a looper hook 61which is a flat, rearwardly protruding member tapering toward a roundedpoint. Protruding forwardly, slightly below the hook 61 is a bearingblock 62. A transverse slot 63 is milled across the bearing block 62 andthe upper end of the shank or body 60 so as to provide a journal for thebody 64 of a slide member denoted generally by numeral 65. Body 64 isuniform and preferably rectangular in cross section and is retained inplace for slidable movement in slot 63 by a cover plate 66, the coverplate 66 being retained flat against the block 62 and the upper portionof shank 60 by means of pins 67, or the like.

The forward end of the slide member 65 includes a downwardly extendingbar 68 provided with a hole 69 which receives one end of a spring 70,the other end of the spring 70 passing through a hole 71 in a downwardlyprotruding plate 72 extending from block 62. Thus, the member 65 is atall times urged or biased rearwardly of the machine toward the high loopforming position seen in FIGS. 1, 7 and 8 in which member 65 isoperative. The slide member 65, however, may be urged forwardly of bodyto an inoperative or retracted position, namely a position in which thelooper mechanism is in a low loop forming position.

Projecting rearwardly from the body 64 is a looper hook 73, the looperbook 73 being similar in shape to the hook 61 and being spaced below,about parellel to and in the same vertical plane with the hook 61. Itwill now be seen that upon forward slidable movement of the slide member65, the hook 73 will be withdrawn within the shank 61 and block 62 ofthe looper mechanism, as seen in FIG. 6.

PATTERN DRUM ASSEMBLY For selectively holding the slide members 65, inaccordance with a predetermined pattern, so that upon rearward movementof hooks 61 the held members will slide to an inoperative position,there is provided a pattern drum assembly including a pattern drum 80mounted on a shaft 81 and carried by pillow blocks 82 extendingoutwardly from the legs 10. The drum 80 has raised or high portions 84and valley or low portions 85 defining a prescribed or predeterminedpattern over the periphery of the drum. The drum 80 is rotated insynchronization with the rotation of the rollers 30 and 31 by means of achain 86 and a pair of sprockets 87 and 88 mounted on the shaft ofroller 30 and on shaft 81, respectively. Thus, it is seen that the drum80 is rotated in synchronization with the reciprocation of the needles50. The rear periphery of drum protrudes beneath flange 13 so as to beengaged by the fingers, such as finger 89, of a plurality of alignedrocker arms or levers, such as lever 90, the finger 89 extending atright angles or normal or perpendicular to and from the end of the lever90. Intermediate the ends of the levers, such as lever 90, all leversare supported on a common shaft 91 which extends parallel to the shaft89 and is, in turn, supported by the inner ends of the legs 10, as shownin FIGS. 1 and 6. Each of the levers, such as lever 90, is separatedfrom its adjacent parallel lever by a spacer washer or ring 92 on shaft91. Below the shaft 91 of the levers, such as lever 90, are eachprovided with an opening, such as opening 93, each opening receiving aspring 94 connected to the lower edge of flange 13. Thus, each of thelevers, such as lever 90, is urged in a counterclockwise direction asviewed in FIG. 1 so that the fingers, such as finger 89, are each urgedindividually in about a radial direction against the inner periphery ofthe drum 80. Thus, as the drum 80 presents a low portion or valley tothe finger 89, the lever will be rocked in a counterclockwise directionand when the drum 80 presents a raised or high portion 84 to the finger89, the lever 90 will be rocked in a clockwise direction.

The upper ends of all of the levers, such as lever 90, terminateimmediately below the surface of flange 13, as illustrated in FIGS. 1and 6, and in a plane about parallel to the slidable member 65. At theend portion of each of the levers, such as lever 90, there is provided ahorizontally disposed, circular opening such as opening 95 through whichprojects a spoke, such as spoke 96. It will be seen in FIGS. 1 and 6that one end of spoke 96 is provided with a wide, relatively flat head97 for engaging the surface of the upper end of lever 90. The other endof spoke 96 is pivotally mounted to body 64, being provided with aU-shaped loop or bend which projects through an appropriate opening inthe front portion of the slidable body 64 of the slidable member 65. Theopening 95 is sufficiently large that the spoke 36 is freely slidableaxially in the opening 95 and may also pivot slightly therein.

YARN FEED MECHANISM The yarn feed mechanism of the present inventionincludes a pair of unidirectional feed members which cooperate to feedthe yarn to the respective needles as demanded by the pattern which isbeing sewn by the machine. In more detail, the yarns 51, which are fedto the needles 50, pass from the creel (not shown) through a pluralityof evenly spaced holes in a conventional guide bar mounted on cross head16. From the guide bar 100, all yarns 51 pass directly downwardlythrough a stationary unidirectional feed member 101 mounted on crosshead 16. As seen in FIGS. 2 and 3, the unidirectional feed member 161includes a feed block 102 which is formed from a rectangular bar ofmetal, preferably aluminum, the lower surface of which is recessed toprovide a downwardly and outwardly tapering surface 103 in the centralportion of the block and a downwardly projecting supporting flange 104in its inner lower portion. Adjacent the outer edge of block 102 thereare provided a plurality of vertically disposed, aligned holes 105'. Theholes 105 are evenly spaced from each other and correspond to the numberof needles t) and therefore the number of yarns 51 associated with themachine. The holes 105 are preferably aligned vertically and spacedbelow the holes of the guide bar 100.

The unidirectional feed member 101 extends substantially the entirewidth of the machine, being secured to the cross head member 16 by meansof bolts 106 which project through the flange 104. If desired, ofcourse, the undirectional feed member 101 may be made in sections.Opposite the flange 104 along the forward edge of the block 102 there isa downwardly protruding ledge 107 on block 102, the inner surface of theledge 107 extending along the line of centers of the holes 105 to definea plurality of inwardly opening semi-circular recesses which extendcoaxially with the holes 105. The lower end portions of the coaxialrecesses are flared outwardly so as to provide an arcuate surface 103,against which the yarns passing through the holes 105 may curve in theirpath as seen in FIGS. 1 and 6.

For each hole 105 there is provided a spring finger which, forconvenience, may be produced in pairs such as seen in FIG. 3. It is not,however, recommended that more than say three or four spring fingers beconnected as a unitary member since the action of each spring finger isindividual and in some instances the action of one spring finger willinterfere or tend to twist another pring finger, When the fingers areproduced in pairs, a bifurcated member 109 is formed wherein a pair ofspaced, parallel, outwardly extending, complementary spring fingers 110is separated by an outwardly opening slot 111.

Tl e outer ends of fingers 110 are arcuate or convexed so as to bereceived in the recesses of ledge 107. The cen tral portion or body ofthe bifurcated member 109 joins the inner ends of fingers 110 togetherand has a fiat rear edge and a central hole which receives a screw 112,the screw 112 securing the body of the bifurcated member 109 against thesurface 103 of block 102 adjacent the flange 104. Thus, the fingers 110project from the screw 112 outwardly along surface 103 toward thedownward protruding ledge 107. The length of fingers 110, in mostinstances, is slightly greater than the extent of surface 103 over whichthey project, so that the arcuate ends of the spring fingers 110 restwithin the arcuate extensions of the holes 105 such that the springfingers 110 at all times are biased thereagainst and spaced slightlyaway and tapering toward surface 103. The slope of surface 103, againstwhich the body of member 109 rests, is such that the spring fingers 110engage the extensions of holes 105 at an acute angle. It s now seenthat, because of the relatively long distance between the screw 112which anchors the bifurcated member 109 in place and the outer end ofthe spring fingers 110, each spring finger 110 will readily resilientlyyield downwardly, pivoting about screw 112, to permit the yarn 51 to befed through the hole in a downward direction when the yarn is pulleddownwardly, and will spring back to its normal position when thedownward pull is relieved. When, however, an upward pull is exerted onyarns 51, the spring finger tends to clamp the yarn 51 against itsrecess. Also, it will be noted that there is usually sufiicient spacebetween the fingers 110 and between the surface 103 and fingers 110 topermit the accumulated yarn lint at intervals to be blown from betweensurface 103 and fingers 110.

For providing a positive feed for yarns 51, there is positioned belowthe unidirectional feed member 101 a power actuated feed assembly whichincludes a reciprocatable drum supported by shaft 121, the shaft 121, inturn, being supported at its ends by pillow blocks 12?. mounted on thecross head member 16 as illustrated. Shaft 121 protrudes beyond one ofthe pillow blocks 122 and is provided at its outer end with a lever 123which connects to a pitman 124, the pitman 124 being connected to a cam(not shown) on shaft 17. The arrangement is such that, upon rotation ofshaft 17, the pitman 124 will rock lever 123 to and fro and hencereciprocate shaft 121 and drum 120.

Mounted axially on the periphery of drum 129 and projecting outwardlyfrom the machine is a second unidirectional feed member 131 whichincludes a metal block 132 extending substantially the entire length ofdrum 120. The bottom surface and upper surface of block 132 are milledout to provide at the inner edge, upper and lower diverging flanges 133and 134, the upper flange 133 receiving countersunk bolts 135 by whichthe member 131 is secured to the drum 120. Outwardly of flange 133, theblock 132 is provided with a plurality of evenly spaced tangentiallyarranged holes 137, the lower portions of which merge respectively withthe semicircular, outwardly opening recesses 138 in lower flange 134.The recesses 138 are respectively axially aligned with holes 137 andflare outwardly at their lower ends.

Outwardly of the recesses 130, the block is milled to provide a flat,upwardly sloping lower surface 139 so that the block 132 terminates in arelatively thin outer edge and a shoulder 140 between the outer edge andthe outer end of the surface 139. Bifurcated members 141, similar inoperation and construction, are provided on surface 139. Each bifurcatedmember 141 includes a base 142 with a pair of spaced parallel springfingers 143 with rounded free ends projecting therefrom. The members 141are secured in place by bolts 144 protruding through their bases 142 sothat the fingers 143 protrude inwardly along surface 139 to terminatewith their rounded ends resting within recesses 133 as seen in FIGS. 4and S.

Yarns 51 pass from member 101 downwardly through holes 137 .and arepinched between the end of fingers 143 and recesses 138 in a mannersubstantially identical to that described for the previous yarn feedmember 101. Intermediate the ends of each finger 143, there is provideda hole 145 through which a bolt 146 protrudes and is threadedly receivedin block 132. The head of bolt 146 is larger than hole 145; however, thediameter of the bolt 145 is substantially smaller than the diameter ofhole 145 so as not to interfere with the normal movement of the finger143. The bolt 146 may be adjusted so as to move its head toward or awayfrom the finger 143. With the head of bolt 146 close to or engagingspring finger 143, any appreciable downward movement of the free end offinger 143 will result in the finger 143 pivoting about bolt 145. Withthe head of bolt 145 spaced from finger 143, the finger 143 will pivotabout its other end. Thus, the position of each bolt 146 will determinethe force required to pull the yarns 51 through the holes 137 and pastthe fingers 139.

While we have disclosed and illustrated the spring fingers 110 and 143as terminating intermediate the ends of the recesses, such as recesses138, it will be understood that in some instances, such as whenrelatively large diameter yarns are passed through the holes 105 and137, the free ends of the spring fingers 110 and 143 terminate in spacedrelationship to the surfaces defining the recesses and, in suchinstances, the spring fingers normally rest upon the surfaces 103 and139. Downward urging of the yarns will cause pivoting of the fingers 110and 143 about their fixed ends and upward urging of the yarns will bemet with substantially no pivoting of the fingers 110 and 143 sincesubstantially the entire surface of the respective fingers 110 and 143will engage the surf-aces 103 and 139.

In addition to acting as one jaw of a clamping arrangement, the recessessuch as recess 133 act as guide means for the yarns so as to spaceproperly the yarns 51.

It will be seen that the respective yarn feed members 101 and 131 areinterchangeable; however, we prefer to use the yarn feed member 131where suitable since the spring fingers 143 are outboard of the yarns 51so as to permit access to the fingers 143 for removing lint andadjusting the bolts 146.

Below the yarn feed assembly described above and mounted on the needlebar 28 is a guide bar 150 having holes aligned with each needle, throughwhich yarns 51 from the feed member 131 are fed to the eyes of needles50.

OPERATION From the foregoing description, the operation of the presentinvention should be apparent. The yarns 51 are threaded into the machineby being led from the creel (not shown) to the bar 100 and thencerespectively through the aligned openings or holes in bar 100 to theunidirectional yarn feed member 101. At the unidirectional feed member101 the yarns are respectively fed through the openings 105 so as topass downwardly therethrough and emerge from the bottom ofunidirectional feed member 101, passing around the ledge 107 and thencearound drum 120 and through holes 137 in unidirectional feed member 131.Thereafter, the yarns 51 pass through the holes of guide bar 150 andthrough the eyes of the respective needles 50. The base fabric 40 ismounted on the machine by passing it around roll 30 and thence aroundroll 31 across the throat plate 37 to the rolls 32, 33 and 34.

After the yarns 51 and base fabric 40 are installed, the motor (notshown) is energized, driving the belts 19 to rotate through pulley 18the shaft 17. This causes reciprocation of shaft 41 and shaft 121 andthe gradual rotation of the drum 80, as the base fabric 40 is fed by therollers 30, 31, 32, 33 and 34 across the throat plate 37 and opening 12of the machine. In each cycle of the machine, the needles 50simultaneously insert in a transverse row a plurality of loops of yarns51 through the base fabric 40 to a predetermined distance. Uponcontinued operation, the needles 50 retract and thereafter successivelyand repeatedly penetrate the base fabric 40 as the base fabric 40 ismoved therebeneath to produce longitudinal and transverse rows of looppile, the longitudinal rows being created by single yarns withsuccessive loops along the lower surface being connected by backstitches along the upper surface of the base fabric 40.

Shaft 17 and shaft 41 are so timed that each hook 61 and 73 (provided along loop is to be sewn) will pass on its rearward stroke between itsrespective needle 50 and the yarn 51 carried by that needle, as theneedle passes bottom dead center. Upon continued rotation of shaft 17,the hooks 61 and 73 project further rearwardly as the needle 50 isretracted from the fabric 40, the hooks 51 and 73 passing forwardlybeyond the line of travel of needle 50 as the needle 50 reaches top deadcenter.

In each cycle, as the needles t) penetrate the base fabric 40 andapproach the bottom dead center position of the needles 50, the shaft 41rocks in a counterclockwise direction, as illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 6,carrying the hooks 61 and 73 rearwardly of the machine so as to passrespectively between the yarns 51 and their respective needles 50. Thus,between each needle 50 and its yarn 51 the hooks 61 and 73 of theparticular looper associated with that needle project so that the yarn51 is normally engaged by either the hook 61 or the hook 73, dependingupon whether a high loop or a low loop is to be sewn. Of course, theposition of the finger 89 with respect to the pattern drum predetermineswhether a high loop or a low loop is to be sewn.

If the finger 89 of lever 90 is on a valley or low portion 85, themechanism is in position for producing a high or long loop. Upon eachcycle, a needle 50 penetrates the base fabric so that the eye of theneedle passes below the hook 73 as the hook 73 carried by the looperassembly moves between the yarn 51 and its needle 50. On the upwardstroke of the needle, the yarn 51 is temporarily held or restrained bythe book 73 until the needle 50 is Withdrawn from the base fabric 40.Thereafter, upon movement of the fabric 40 in a rearward direction andmovement of the looper assembly in a forward direction, the looptemporarily held by the hook 73 is released.

On the other hand, referring to FIG. 6, if the finger 89 of lever 90rides on a high portion or ridge 84 of the pattern drum 80, the lever 90is rocked in a clockwise direction sufficiently so that upon rearwardmovement of the looper assembly by counterclockwise rotation of theshaft 41 the head 97 of spoke 96 engages the end of lever 90 andrestrains the member 65 from rearward movement with the looper assembly.Thus, with continued rearward movement of the looper assembly by shaft41, the member 65 is progressively withdrawn from the block 62. Hence,only the looper hook 61 protrudes between the yarn 51 and its needle 50.Upon upward travel of the needle bar 28 carrying the needle 50 with it,the yarn 51 will be temporarily restrained by the looper hook 61 untilthe needle is withdrawn from the base fabric 40.

It will be seen by those skilled in the art that at all times either thelooper hook 61 or the looper hook 73 will catch and hold the yarn,regardless of the position of the finger 89 on drum 80. Therefore, noaccurate timing of the drum 80 is required.

It is therefore seen that a prescribed pattern dictated by theparticular configuration of the pattern drum 80 is produced by makinghigh and low loops, without necessitating the backdrawing of the yarnfrom the loop as it is formed or the robbing of the preceding loop.

The shaft 121 and shaft 17 are so timed or synchronized that during thedownward stroke of the needle 50, the drum is rocked in a clockwisedirection as seen in FIGS. 1 and 6, and during the upward stroke of theneedle 50 the drum 120 will be rocked in a counterclockwise direction.The stroke of the drum 120 is such that yarn in excess of the yarnrequired for the mere downward stroke of the needle 50 is fed to theneedle so as to compensate for the back stitch in the fabric as well asfor the high loop being formed.

Upon each upstroke or counterclockwise stroke of yarn feed member 131,the spring fingers 143 will slide along the yarns 51, only after allslack has been taken out of the respective yarns 51. On a subsequentdown stroke or clockwise stroke, the fingers 143 will clamp and hold theyarns 51, causing the yarns 51 to be pulled through the firstunidirectional yarn feed member 101, only when slack has been taken outof the respective yarns 51 held between the first yarn feed member 101and the second yarn feed member 131.

The first unidirectional yarn feed member 101 is in relatively closeproximity to the second unidirectional yarn feed member 1.31, andtherefore, even though relatively springy or resilient yarns, or yarnshaving different resiliency characteristics, are employed, the stretchdifferen tial between these yarns (lying between the two feed members)is minimized by the short lengths involved. Hence, it is essentiallyimmaterial whether, even with extremely resilient yarns, there beuniform tensions on each yarn between the creel (not shown) and themachine.

It will be understood that the feed of the yarns 51 may be altered, i.e.increased or decreased, by adjusting the linkage between pitman 124 andlever 1123.

While the fingers 143 of unidirectional yarn feed member 131 operate inthe same manner for each yarn 51, if any one or a plurality of the yarns'1 become slack between needle 50 and member 131, there is no tension onthose particular yarns, and hence upon counterclockwise rotation of drum120, the feed member 131 will back-draw all yarns 51 until suificientresistance to back-drawing is achieved before it slides along the yarn.Thus, the slack or feed of each yarn 5 1 is equalized in accordance withthe demand for that yarn.

Drum 120 is more than a mere lever for reciprocating the feed member 131in timed sequence. On the upstroke of needles 50, and duringcounterclockwise rotation of drum 120, the drum 120 may and normallydoes come in contact with yarns 51 between needles 5t) and member 131 toadd in back-drawing the yarns 51 uniformly.

On some strokes of the needle 50 there is a greater demand for yarn thanon other strokes; nevertheless, it is important that a uniform flat backstitch be produced between the preceding loop and the loop being formed,regardless of loop height, and without appreciable backdrawing from thepreceding loop. To achieve this uniform flat back stitch withoutappreciable back-drawing, regardless of whether high or low loops arebeing produced, there is a unique cooperation between the particularyarn feed mechanism and the particular stop or looper mechanism in thatupon each up stroke, the yarn is back drawn around drum 126 to auniformly tight condition by the finger 143 while the loop is being heldby one of the hooks of the looper mechanism.

By accurate adjustment of all of the bolts 1'46, uniform back-drawingtensions on the yarns are applied just sufficient for all slack in theloops to be taken out and also all slack in the back stitch, withoutaltering the rela tive depths of the preceding loop with respect to theother loops of the preceding rows. The tension, however, is preferablyinsufficient to achieve appreciable backdrawing of these precedingloops. Thus, as the effective distance between the base fabric 40 andfingers 143 is increased, the yarns 51 individually slide past fingersM3 to supply only the amount by which the respective yarns aredeficient.

The effect, therefore, of the proper operation of this combination ofyarn feed mechanism and looper assembly is to produce unusually uniformpile heights in the carpet and thereby provide a luxurious appearance.

It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that many variations maybe made in the embodiment chosen for the purpose of illustrating thepresent invention without departing from the scope thereof as defined bythe appended claims.

We claim:

1. A tufting machine comprising a table, a needle above said table,means for reciprocating said needle for penetrating a base fabric movingover said table, a first looper hook below said table adapted to catchyarn carried by the needle to form a loop, a second looper hook spacedbeneath and slidably carried by said first looper hook, said secondlooper hook being adapted to catch yarn carried by said needle to form aloop, and means to selectively render inoperative said second looperhook so as to form selectively high and low loops in said base fabric.

2. A tufting machine comprising a table, a needle above said table,means for reciprocating said needle for penetrating by a predetermineddistance a base fabric moving over said table, a first looper hook belowsaid table adapted to catch a single yarn carried by the needle atappreciably less distance from said base fabric than said predetermineddistance and to form a low loop, a second looper hook beneath andprojecting substantially the same distance and in the same direction assaid first looper hook for catching said single yarn carried by saidneedle at a greater distance from said fabric than said first looperhook to form a high loop and to preclude the catching of such yarn bysaid first looper hook, means to selectively render inoperative saidsecond looper hook so that it does not catch yarn so as to formselectively high and low loops in said base fabric and feed means forfeeding the yarn to said needle.

3. In a tufting machine of the class having a reciprocated needle forinserting yarn repeatedly through a base fabric to a predetermineddepth, a looper body adapted to be reciprocated toward and away fromsaid needle in synchronization therewith, a first looper hook carried bysaid body and adapted to protrude during a portion of each cycle betweensaid needle and said yarn intermediate the extremity of insertion of theyarn through the base fabric, a second looper hook slidably journaled bysaid body below and in a plane with said first looper hook parallel tothe path of travel of said needle, said second looper hook beingslidable with respect to said body from a normal position to aninoperative position, said second looper hook extending in its normalposition in the same direction from said body as said first looper hook,means for moving said second looper hook from its normal position to itsinoperative position, and spring means biasing said second looper hooktoward its normal position, said body carrying said second looper hookwhen said second looper hook is in its normal position in a path forprotruding during a portion of each cycle between said needle and saidyarn close to the extremity of insertion of the yarn through the basefabric to engage and hold temporarily and thereafter release successiveyarn carried by said needle, said first looper hook being carried bysaid looper in a path to engage and hold temporarily and thereafterrelease yarn only when said sec ond looper hook is in its inoperativeposition.

4. In a tufting machine of the class having a reciprocated needle forinserting yarn repeatedly through a base fabric to a predetermineddepth, a looper body adapted to be reciprocated toward and away fromsaid needle as it is reciprocated, a first looper hook carried by saidbody and adapted to protrude during a portion of the cycle between saidneedle and said yarn intermediate the extremities of insertion of theyarn through the base fabric, a second looper hook slidably journaled bysaid body below and in a plane with said first looper hook parallel tothe path of travel of said needle, said second looper book beingslidable with respect to said body from a normal position to aninoperative position, said second looper hook extending in its normalposition in the same direction from said body as said first looper hook,means for moving said second looper hook from its normal position to itsinoperative position, and spring means biasing said second looper hooktoward its normal position, said body carrying said second looper hookwhen said second looper hook is in its normal position to engage andhold temporarily and thereafter release successive yarn carried by saidneedle, said first looper hook being carried by said looper in a path toengage, and hold temporarily and thereafter release yarn only when saidsecond looper hook is in its inoperative position.

5. In a tufting machine of the class having a reciprocated needle forinserting yarn repeatedly through a base fabric to a predetermineddepth, a first looper hook reciprocated toward and away from said needleas it is reciprocated, said first looper hook being adapted to protrudeduring a portion of the cycle between said needle and said yarnintermediate the extremities of insertion of the yarn through the basefabric, a moveable second looper hook below and in a plane with saidfirst looper hook parallel to the path of travel of said needle, saidsecond looper hook being moveable with respect to said first looper hookfrom its normal position below said first looper hook, to an inoperativeposition, means for moving said second looper hook with respect to saidfirst looper hook, said second looper hook being adapted when operatingnormally to engage and hold temporarily and thereafter releasesuccessive yarn carried by said needle, said first looper hook beingadapted to engage and hold temporarily and thereafter release yarn onlywhen said second looper hook is in its inoperative position, means forfeeding yarn to said needle including a pair of unidirectional feedmembers through which said yarn is passed to said needle, and means forreciprocating one of the unidirectional feed members along the path ofsaid yarn in timed relationship to the reciprocation of said firstlooper hook.

6. A yarn feed assembly for tufting machines of the type havingreciprocating needles comprising a pair of unidirectional yarn feedmembers spaced from each other and through which yarn to said needlespasses, and means for moving one of said yarn feed members to feed yarntoward said machine in timed relationship to the reciprocation of theneedles.

7. The combination With a reciprocable needle of a yarn feed assemblycomprising a first unidirectional yarn feed member through which yarnpasses to said needle, a second unidirectional yarn feed member, saidyarn being engaged by said second yarn feed member between said firstyarn feed member and said needle, and means for actuating said secondyarn feed member to thereby draw yarn from said first yarn feed memberand feed the same to said needle in timed relation to reciprocation ofsaid needle.

8. As an article of manufacture, a yarn feed member comprising a blockprovided with a plurality of aligned holes, a ledge extending from saidblock, the inner surface of said ledge terminating in the plane of saidholes, said ledge being provided with concave recesses axially alignedwith said holes, and a plurality of flat spring fingers carried by saidblock and yieldably urged respectively toward said recesses, the ends ofsaid fingers terminating in such close proximity to said surfacesdefining said recesses as to clamp yarns passing through said holesbetween the ends of said fingers and the surface defining said recesses.

9. As an article of manufacture, a yarn feed member comprising a blockprovided with a plurality of aligned holes, a ledge extending from saidblock, the inner surface of said ledge terminating in the plane of saidholes, said ledge being provided with concave recesses axially alignedwith said holes, and a plurality of fiat spring fingers carried by saidblock and yieldably urged respectively toward said recesses so as toclamp yarns passing through said holes between the ends of said fingersand the surfaces defining said recesses, the ends of said fingers beingarcuate conforming to the configurations of said recesses and protrudinginto said recesses.

10. As an article of manufacture, a yarn feed member comprising a blockprovided with a plurality of aligned holes, a ledge extending from saidblock, the inner surface of said ledge terminating in the plane of saidholes, said ledge being provided with concave recesses axially alignedwith said holes, and a plurality of fingers carried by said block andyieldably urged respectively toward said recesses, the ends of saidfingers terminating in such close proximity to said surfaces definingsaid recesses as to clamp yarns passing through said holes between theends of said fingers and the surfaces defining said recesses, the endsof said fingers being arcuate for conforming to the configurations ofsaid recesses so as to extend into said recesses, said fingers eachbeing long, narrow, flexible, metal leaf spring members.

11. In a tufting machine of the class having a reciprocated needlecarried by a cross head for inserting yarn repeatedly through a basefabric to a predetermined depth, a first looper hook reciprocated towardand away from said needle as it is reciprocated, said first looper hookreciprocated toward and away from said needle as it is reciprocated,said first looper hook being adapted to protrude during a portion of thecycle between said needle and said yarn intermediate the extremities ofinsertion of the yarn through the base fabric, a moveable second looperhook below and in a plane with said first looper hook parallel to thepath of travel of said needle, said second looper hook being moveablewith respect to said first looper hook from its normal position to aninoperative position, means for moving said second looper hook withrespect to said first looper hook, said second looper hook being adaptedwhen operating normally to engage and hold temporarily and thereafterrelease successive yarn carried by said needle, said first looper hookbeing adapted to engage and hold temporarily and thereafter release yarnonly when said second looper hook is in its inoperative position, meansfor feeding yarn to said needle including a pair of unidirectional feedmembers through which said yarn is passed to said needle, and a drumreciprocated in timed relationship to said needles, each of saidunidirectional feed members including a block provided with a pluralityof aligned holes, a ledge extending from said block, the inner surfaceof said ledge terminating in the plane of said holes, said ledge beingprovided with concave recesses axially aligned with said holes, and aplurality of fingers carried by said block and yieldably urgedrespectively toward said recesses so as to clamp yarns passing throughsaid holes between the ends of said fingers at the surfaces definingsaid recesses, the ends of said fingers being arcuate so as to extendinto said recesses, said fingers each being long, narrow, flexible,metal leaf spring members, the block of one of said unidirectional feedmembers being secured axially along said drum.

12. A yarn feed mechanism comprising an elongated block having aplurality of aligned holes through said block, a ledge connected to saidblock on one side of the mouth of all said holes, said ledges beingprovided with a plurality of recesses coaxially aligned with said holes,and a plurality of fiat spring fingers anchored to said block on theother side of said holes and protruding into said recesses, said springfingers being provided with rounded ends conforming generally to theconfigurations of said recesses received within said recesses, saidspring fingers being yieldable away from said recesses to permit thedrawing of yarns in one direction through said holes and between theends of said fingers and said recesses, said fingers being in such closeproximity to and biased toward said recesses so as to clamp said yarnsbetween the ends of said fingers and said recesses when said yarns areurged in the opposite direction through said holes.

13. In the method of forming patterns with pile loops in a base fabriccomprising simultaneously inserting a plurality of transversely alignedloops through a base fabric to a uniform predetermined depth to form afirst row of transversely aligned pile loops, furnishing yarns for thesuccessive formation of additional rows of aligned loops connected byback stitches and spaced from and generally parallel to said first rowof loops, and repeating said loop forming operation, the steps ofsuccessively inserting first stops in all said loops at predetermineddepths, inserting second stops through said loops below said first stopsby moving said second stops relative to said first stops according to aprescribed pattern as said loops are being formed, backdrawing saidyarns from said loops so as to tighten said loops each against one ofthe aforesaid stops for producing loops of different depths, andthereafter disengaging all said stops from said loops of differentheights.

14. In the method of forming patterns with pile loops in a base fabriccomprising simultaneously inserting a plurality of transversely alignedloops through a base fabric to a uniform predetermined depth to form afirst row of transversely aligned pile loops, furnishing yarns for thesuccessive formation of additional rows of aligned loops connected byback stitches and spaced from and generally parallel to said first rowof loops, and repeating said loop forming operation, the steps ofsuccessively inserting first stops in all said loops at predetermineddepths, inserting second stops through said loops below said first stopsby moving said second stops relative to said first stops according to aprescribed pattern as said loops are being formed, yieldably applyingsubstantially uniform tensions to each of said yarns for backdrawingsaid yarns from said loops with substantially uniform force onlysufficient to tighten said back stitches against said base fabric and totighten said loops each against one of the aforesaid stops for producingloops of different depths without appreciably altering the relativedepths of the loops in the preceding rows, and thereafter disengagingall said stops from said loops of diiferent heights.

15. In the method of feeding yarns to a plurality of needlesreciprocated toward and away from a base fabric, said needles feedingyarns to said base fabric as said needles are moved toward the same, thesteps of yieldably holding said yarns at spaced distances from saidneedles, yieldably grasping said yarns between said needles and theplace where said yarns are yieldably held, urging the grasped portionsof said yarns toward said needles by distances greater than theamplitude of reciprocation of said needles as said needles are movedtoward said base fabric, progressively moving the grasped portions ofsaid yarns in a direction away from said needles as said needles aremoved away from said base fabric to thereby remove slack from the yarnsand thereafter simultaneously change the grasped portions of said yarnfor subsequent movement toward said needles.

16. A tufting machine comprising a single eyed reciprocal needle havinga single yarn within its eye for inserting the yarn from one sidethrough a base fabric, yarn feed means for feeding yarn to said needleas said needle penetrates said fabric and for yieldably backdrawing saidyarn as said needle is retracted and a pair of means removable withrespect to each other on the opposite side of said fabric from saidneedle for selectively arresting the yarn at different distances fromthe base fabric as said needle is withdrawn from said fabric.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 169,081 /75Brewer 22615l 1,207,068 12/16 Pagliarul 226- 2,741,913 4/56 Dovas 21169X 2,759,251 8/56 Huyett 226158 X 2,821,947 2/58 Knauf 226-147 2,842,0807/ 58 Hoeselbarth 1l279.6 2,953,290 9/60 Kostenko et a1. 2261512,982,239 5/61 McCutchen 11279.6 2,982,240 5/61 McCutchen 11279.62,990,792 7/61 Nowicki et al. 11279 3,006,296 10/61 Penman 112-793,075,482 1/63 Card 112-79 JORDAN FRANKLIN, Primary Examiner.

DAVID J. WILLIAMOWSKY, RUSSELL C. MADER, Examiners.

1. A TUFTING MACHINE COMPRISING A TABLE, A NEEDLE ABOVE SAID TABLE,MEANS FOR RECIPROCATING SAID NEEDLE FOR PENETRATING A BASE FABRIC MOVINGOVER SAID TABLE, A FIRST LOOPER HOOK BELOW SAID TABLE ADAPTED TO CATCHYARN CARRIED BY THE NEEDLE TO FORM A LOOP,A SECOND LOOPER HOOK SPACEDBENEATH AND SLIDABLY CARRIED BY SAID FIRST LOOPER HOOK SAID SECONDLOOPER HOOK BEING ADAPTED TO CATCH YARN